Vacuum cleaner



VACUUM CLEANER Filed June 2, 1965 1 I ililHl E h .0

United States Patent Ofiiice 3,364,513 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 3,364,513 VACUUM CLEANER Irving Edward Brisrnan, Box 457, Bagdad Rte., Prescott, Ariz. 86301 Filed June 2, 1965, Ser. No. 462,472 4 Claims. (Cl. 15325) This invention relates to improvements to a vacuum cleaner of canister type for its greater mobility by and around room furniture.

It is the object of this invention to provide the greatest possible mobility to this type of cleaner with the least possible cost.

The inventor will attempt to show, by means of the following drawings and descriptions, how this objective is attained.

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a cross section of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of this specially constructed canister type cleaner to show comparative sizes and relative placements of its motor-fan combination, rechargeable batteries, caster wheels, side wall, and buffer wheel, viewed in part as through a transparent floor.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view of the handle-bolt-axle combination, and manner of its attachment to the lid and to the buffer wheel of the cleaner to make one unit of all three units.

FIGURE 4 is a detailed view of one of the two identical catches for holding the lid of the cleaner firmly to the main body of the cleaner, or for releasing the lid easily.

To explain these drawings: A canister type vacuum cleaner is shown in accordance With the present invention which includes, a buffer wheel 1, its rim covered with resilient material In, and turning upon a vertical central axis 2 of the lid 5 of the cleaner; said buffer wheel having a circumference greater than the circumference of the main body of the vacuum cleaner, so as to present a comparatively frictionless surface to room furniture at a height of six inches more or less from the floor.

This same vacuum cleaner is mounted upon four comparatively large (3 inch) caster wheels 8 inset near its lower periphery so as to give it a broad and long wheel base and keep the main body of the cleaner close to the floor (one inch).

The motor-fan combination is located at the bottom center of the cleaner, with rechargeable batteries surrounding it on the bottom of the cleaner between the four inset wheels so as to maintain the lowest possible center of gravity.

The lid of this same vacuum cleaner 5 together with its attached buffer wheel 1 is fastened to the main body of the cleaner 6 by two identical hinge catches 5, 7 on each side of the cleaner (calling the front of the cleaner that part of it where the flexible suction hose is attached 15) the upper portion of each catch being moveable only with the lid as a whole, of which it is a part, the lower part of each catch being a necessarily sturdy hinged catch attached to the main body of the cleaner with a spring attached to it between it and the wall of the cleaner; this hinged catch being so constructed that it may not move away so far from the wall of the cleaner that the lid of the cleaner may not be pushed down over it at all times to its snap-locking position; and having an attached spring back of it of such strength that a moderate pressure upon this same hinged catch will move it into its recess in the wall of the cleaner and into unlock position.

These catches might better be described as bird shaped, the upper portion of each catch resembling in side view the head, beak, and throat of a bird upside down and facing in; the lower hinged portion of each catch resembling the head, beak, throat and body of a bird upright and facing out; the head and beak of the upper portion of each catch sliding against the head and beak of the lower portion of each catch until the beaks catch when the lid of the cleaner is fastened to the main body of the cleaner; and the lid unfastened by pushing the lower bird in against its spring until the beaks of the two are out of contact.

A further examination of FIGURE 4 will make it clear that only one birdie catch need be disengaged by thumb or finger pressure to open the cleaner, as when the lid- Wheel ensemble is lifted at one side twenty or thirty degrecs to clear the top of the cleaner body it may then be slid away from a catching position on the opposite side of the cleaner.

Other parts of the cleaner are of known construction and are shown merely to indicate their convenient placement in relation to the invention proper; but a brief description of all numbered parts of the above diagram follows for easy reference.

1-Buffer wheel 1a, lit-Resilient substance on rim of butter Wheel 2-Handle-bolt-axle combination 3-Bearing 4, 4Lock nuts 5Lid and upper portions of side catches 6-Main body of cleaner 7, 7-Hinged portions of side catches 8, 8, 8, 8Caster wheels (3) 9-Motor-fan combination 10, 10, 10, 10-Rechargea'ble battery (optional) 11Filter (held in place with clip not shown) 12Replaceable bag filling whole top area of cleaner 13Resilient bead around top of main body of cleaner to increase air tightness between lid and lower part of cleaner 14-Ball bearings (two not shown) to reduce friction should buffer wheel touch lid under rough usage (optional) 15-Suction intake hole 16-Connecting wire for electrical circuit ing of batteries 17-Detachable wire between charger-transformer and fixture on cleaner 18-Battery charger 19--Detachable wire 20-Wall outlet 21-Air discharge hole 22-Wall 23-Floor (the birdie catch) during recharg- It will be seen, then, from the above description and diagrams that this invention applied to a canister type cleaner will, by means of its horizontal butter wheel present a comparatively non-friction surface to room fumiture as it may be pulled by and around it; and preserve a necessary low center of gravity in combination with high mobility on the floor by means of large inset and wideset caster wheels, and by means of that certain placement of its motor, somewhat heavier than a conventional motor, on the bottom center of the cleaner with rechargeable battery cells grouped about it on the bottom of the cleaner between the caster wheels.

To be specific about particular advantages of this invention:

It is easy by pulling it about with its suction hose to cause this cleaner to make a right angle turn about a chair, its buffer wheel turning along the chair, with little chance of its catching on the chair or tipping over. Also, it is easy to circle about a wall partition or a sofa, While pulling on the suction hose and make the cleaner describe a U-turn about such objects without tipping or catching. Also, because of its large caster wheels, it is easy to pull this cleaner from a bare floor up onto a thick rug without its catching and rumpling the rug.

A cordless motor is optional, but if used, has the obvious advantage of making a cleaner moveable from room to room without thought of wall outlets, the jerking of a wire cord out of such outlets, or catching that cord on room furniture.

The inventor of these improvements will not foolishly claim invention of THE WHEEL as part of claim 1 to follow, but merely of a horizontal butter wheel able to turn easily, as necessary, on a vertical central axle of a canister type cleaner and bearing a certain relationship of size ratio to that cleaner, in this example, fourteen inches diameter for the buffer wheel as compared to twelve inches for the canister cleaner.

Further, this inventor will not by any means claim invention of the CASTER WHEEL as part of claim number 2, to follow, but merely of a certain wide set and inset placement of large caster wheels at the bottom of a specially constructed canister type cleaner so as to make that cleaner under slung with its center of gravity at the lowest possible level.

And the same in regard to the cordless motor of this machine. A claim Will be made for discovery of the best possible placement only of such a motor in such a machine, together with the best possible placement of its rechargeable battery cells around that motor.

So that, finally, a claim must be made, not for invention of the CANISTER VACUUM CLEANER, but of a canister vacuum cleaner so shaped that it will accommodate the horizontal and vertical wheels, and the motor and battery cell placements before mentioned. For a careful scrutiny of the plans of this invention, together with a little reflection, will disclose that the following claims bear a certain reciprocity each to the other, for example: The horizontal buffer wheel for reducing side friction at the same time requires more mobility of the cleaner upon the floor: greater mobility upon the floor causes more bumping and rubbing on furniture calling for the buffer Wheel: but the horizontal and the vertical wheels together give this canister type machine the greatest possible mobility with the least possible expense.

Again the buffer wheel of this machine revolving as it touches and moves by room furniture at a height, in this example, of six to seven inches has a slight tipping effect upon the whole machine: therefore, the center of gravity of said machine must be low; and it can be low only if the heavy power unit be placed in the central bottom area: there can be room for such a power unit, motor and rechargeable batteries, only if the necessarily larger wheels on the bottom of this machine are widely spaced: and those Wheels must also be inset with their axles above the level of the main bottom area of this canister type machine. And so on, one special detail of construction requiring other special details as complimentary and necessary.

While this invention, consisting of improvements for mobility in a canister type cleaner, has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, and while the most important part of this invention, consisting of a horizontal buffer wheel larger in circumference than the circumference of the canister vacuum cleaner to which it is attached might revolve upon a vertical central axis at the bottom of the said cleaner instead of its top, with casters attached there to, for instance, still it shall be understood that any such change, or any other minor detail changes, shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, four in number.

Having thus described this invention, what is now claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A vacuum cleaner of the upright canister type having a generally tubular cylindrical casing and a detachable lid, said casing in no case shall be much higher than one half its greatest diameter, a horizontal buffer wheel mounted upon a vertical central axis in the detachable lid of said cleaner, said buffer wheel being slightly greater in circumference than the circumference of the casing of the cleaner, and free to revolve in either horizontal direction at a height of six to eight inches from a floor; the aforementioned vertical central axis in the lid of the cleaner consisting of a bolt with an oval handle as its head, a locknut on the bolt beneath a bearing attached to abovementioned buffer wheel, and a second locknut on the bolt beneath the detachable lid of said cleaner.

2. A vacuum cleaner of canister type, as set forth in claim 1, having four large caster wheels, inset similarly and equidistantly from each other near the bottom periphery of the cleaner, so that the horizontal axles of said caster wheels shall be well above the main bottom area of the cleaner and the bottom of said cleaner so shaped and indented that the caster Wheels attached thereto shall be free to revolve upon their vertical and horizontal axes and to allow placement of four interconnected rechargeable batteries on the bottom of the cleaner between the four indentations for said caster Wheels.

3. A vacuum cleaner of canister type as set forth in claim 2, having an electric motor-fan combination with a generally tubular casing located on its bottom central area, four interconnected rechargeable batteries powering said motor-fan combination, said batteries being positioned between said four indentations and positioned to nearly touch seventy degree sectors more or less of the motor-fan outer casing, ninety degrees apart on centers, and which touch the inner wall of the outer casing of the cleaner at forty-five degree sectors ninety degrees apart on centers; these same four rechargeable batteries varying in height with the power needs of different size cleaners, but seldom being as high as, and in no case higher than, the top of the motor-fan casing.

4. A vacuum cleaner of canister type as set forth in claim 3, having its lid with its attached buffer Wheel fastened to the top of the cleaner casing by two identical hinge catches on opposite sides of said casing, said hinge catches comprising an inturned rounded edge on the lower part of the lid and a pair of spring biased pivoted catch members mounted on said casing, said spring and pivot arranged on said catch member to permit the lid as it is applied to the casing to depress said catch members and the spring acting to cause the latch member to engage the inturned edge of the lid when the lid is in position on the casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,222,835 11/ 1940 Gambardella. 2,744,585 5/1956 Kelly 15-327 X 2,914,333 11/1959 Kemnitz 15327 X 3,048,961 8/1962 Kemnitz 1532 X FOREIGN PATENTS 358,202 12/ 1961 Switzerland.

ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner. 

1. A VACUUM CLEANER OF THE UPRIGHT CANISTER TYPE HAVING A GENERALLY TUBULAR CYLINDRICAL CASING AND A DETACHABLE LID, SAID CASING IN NO CASE SHELL BE MUCH HIGHER THAN ONE HALF ITS GREATEST DIAMETER, A HORIZONTAL BUFFER WHEEL MOUNTED UPON A VERTICAL CENTRAL AXIS IN THE DETACHABLE LID OF SAID CLEANER, SAID BUFFER WHEEL BEING SLIGHTLY GREATER IN CIRCUMFERENCE THAN THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE CASING OF THE CLEANER, AND FREE TO REVOLVE IN EITHER HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AT A HEIGHT OF SIX TO EIGHT INCHES FROM A FLOOR; THE AFOREMENTIONED VERTICAL CENTRAL AXIS IN THE LID OF THE CLEANER CONSISTING OF A BOLT WITH AN OVAL HANDLE AS ITS HEAD, A LOCKNUT ON THE BOLT BENEATH ATTACHED TO ABOVEMENTIONED BUFFER WHEEL, AND A SECOND LOCKNUT ON THE BOLT BENEATH THE DETACHABLE LID OF SAID CLEANER. 